|
||
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
                 
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||
Judy B. Engelhard, CAN Coordinator for the Division for Learning Disabilities, provides brief reports for TeachingLD.org so that visitors can keep informed about important developments in policies affecting students with learning disabilities and their teachers. TeachingLD.org is pleased to offer this page as a place for people concerned with learning disabilities to keep up to date.
29 July 2004
On behalf of DLD, I wish to thank Karen Rooney for an outstanding job of keeping us informed about public policy issues as they relate to Specific Learning Disabilities. Karen was elected Vice President of DLD and assumed that office July 1, 2004. I was appointed to serve the last year of Karen's term as CAN Coordinator. I welcome any suggestions you may have for us to better serve you.
JULY 2004 REAUTHORIZATION OF IDEA UPDATE
Congress adjourned for the summer recess before going to conference on bills passed by the House (HR 1350) and Senate (S 1248) to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Unless a compromise is reached through a joint conference committee and sent to President Bush to sign before the end of the year, the conference committee process will start over with the newly elected Congress.
One major stumbling block to reaching agreement on the House and Senate bills is how to define "highly qualified" teachers. All are hopeful that IDEA will clarify the confusion over "highly qualified" that currently exists in the No Child Left Behind Act. With the fall elections and appropriations bills yet to be passed, there is little hope that reauthorization will occur this year. However, it is reported that key legislators want to keep the possibility of an IDEA conference on the table. These legislators are trying to make IDEA a priority for September.
OTHER ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
In addition to working with CEC, DLD works collaboratively with other organizations on the Education Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a Washington, D.C. based advocacy organization that represents approximately 100 national disability groups.
DLD also continues to work with other learning disabilities organizations through the "LD Roundtable" which includes representatives from most organizations of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. This group is working to develop regulatory language related to SLD that will be offered to the Education Department once Congress reauthorizes IDEA.
To keep up with reauthorization of IDEA and other legislative action affecting students with specific learning disabilities, please visit CEC's Public Policy website at:
http://www.cec.sped.org/pp/legislative_update/modules/news/
Judy B. Engelhard
CAN Coordinator, DLD
